Just like with Brave, Monsters University is a film where it’s very difficult to pinpoint who the villain is. The two main candidates would be [spoil]Dean Hardscrabble (though it could be argued that she redeems herself in the end) or Johnny (though he was more of an arrogant jerk than anything else a la Chick Hicks).[/spoil] Or maybe there just isn’t one at all; what do you guys think?
I go more for “antagonist” than villain. By a villain definition…there…really is none.
The one who closely embodies THAT sort of standing is…Johnny. The thing about Johnny is, he’s just…well I’ll get to him in a moment.
OVERALL…the antagonist is actually several people. The characters themselves.
Wazowski is blinded by his own obsession to be a scarer, putting himself first before anyone else and getting some-what of a god complex (not to THAT extend though).
Sullivan is a jerk who seems to show that his family name and ability as a scarer make his life pretty much a sure thing, that there won’t be any struggle.
Randall was a nice guy who was easily manipulated with designs of popularity, respect, and running with a group so unlike himself.
Hardscrabble (since she was mentioned) was a firm educator who, while coming off harsh, knows that Wazowski is destined to fail as a scarer. She is locked in these thoughts.
By the end…
Wazowski and Sullivan both have that “break down” moment that they realize that their actions and desires were hiding an underlying fear. It was really that…moment of uplifting one another that I guess is what established a firm bond between the two.
Randall…umm…he’s still struggling, so can’t comment on that proper.
Hardscrabble realizes through Wazowski and Sullivan’s actions that despite everything she has seen, experienced, that there are still surprises in the world, in people.
Now the closest one to come to a firmer antagonist role (technically, yeah, Hardscrabble was one…but it’s kind of difficult to call her an antagonist when…well…she WAS right.) is Johnny.
The guy does have his good qualities. He’s not a cheater, he CAN back up his gloating with elite-style scareing, he’s got great charisma…
But he’s got this…ground-in perception from nurturing that makes him very manipulative. He’s charismatic, as said, but he’s also very perception. He can read talent and can determine what can make a person tick. He knew Sullivan had great scareing potential (though he was disappointed that the grades didn’t match), he knew Wazowski had no chance to be a scarer, and he knew he could control Randall because of his own nature.
Johnny can manipulate others, demean them, encourage them and, when angry, discipline them. He’s Mr. Big on campus, and he knows it, and will use it to sway things in his favor. If you don’t meet the standards, you are tossed away like garbage (Sullivan and Randall, funny enough, BOTH have been victim to this treatment from him).
Of course, from what I hear, Johnny got these perceptions, as said, basically beat into him by family tradition. It’s kind of like Sullivan’s struggle…though Johnny’s further down the line, and more manipulative, than Sullivan is. Personally, somebody should up Johnny at his own game, slap some realization that the lives he’s affected negatively are NOT the way to go. Maybe then he’d be a better person.
But, as said, overall, everyone was their own antagonists. Doubts, uncertainty, obsession…FEAR.